Game, Set, Match, 2023 Tennis Season: A Year In Review

The 2023 professional tennis season is officially over.

While there may be exhibitions and Davis Cup play, for the most part, the players are enjoying a much-deserved break after a rigorous 11-month season.

Here is what happened in 2023 on both the women’s (WTA) and men’s (ATP) Tours.

WTA

1. A battle for the World No. 1 ranking went down to the wire between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka with Swiatek seizing it with her maiden victory at the ATP Finals.
2. Three women won maiden Grand Slams, Sabalenka at the Australian Open, Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon, and Coco Gauff at the US Open.
3. The American doubles team of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula continued to excel; the two hope to play the Paris 2024 Olympics together but could pare back their schedule after that.
4. American Coco Vandeweghe and Estonian Anett Kontaveit officially retired, and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and Danish player Caroline Wozniacki returned after having babies.
5. Grand Slam Champion Simona Halep was banned from competing because of alleged doping violations; she continues to fight to clear her name.
6. 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva burst on the scene advancing to the third and fourth rounds of the French Open and Wimbledon respectively.
7. The WTA baby boom continues with two Grand Slam Champions, Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber, giving birth in 2023 and planning 2024 returns, and Belinda Bencic announced she is expecting her first child in 2024.

ATP

1. The GOAT and ageless wonder, Novak Djokovic, ended the year the way he started it, by winning tennis tournaments.
2. The next generation provided some challenges for Djokovic, namely Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but they could not consistently perform well enough to defeat him regularly.
3. Carlos Alcaraz won his first Wimbledon title.
4. Jannik Sinner had an amazing fall, finishing as a finalist at the 2023 ATP Finals.
5. Holger Rune changed coaches with tennis legend Boris Becker now a key member of his team.
6. Rafael Nadal was out for the majority of the year with a hip injury but plans a 2024 comeback.
7. Americans Jack Sock and John Isner officially retired, passing the sword to fellow American Ben Shelton who was a US Open semifinalist in his first full year on the tour.